Honesty
by Wedjatqi
Summary: A new face in Atlantis seems to be upsetting John. JT. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Archiving: Anywhere, just ask me first.

Warnings - None.

Spoilers: Season 2

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour.

Summary: A new face in Atlantis seems to be upsetting John.

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He was shaking her hand, or rather his fingers had slid around her elegant hand until it nestled in the palm of his. For a moment it looked like he was going to kiss the back of her hand, but he refrained. His eyes sparkled under the bright Atlantian lights as he gazed at her. A large easy smile slid over his handsome face as he starred appreciatively into her eyes. He was speaking soft words to her around the ever present smile, turning the charm up full notch. He was a strongly built man, with broad shoulders and solid bearing. Yet, he had the elegant hands of an academic and the soft charm of an English aristocrat. His dark hair fell to his collar, the odd wisp across his forehead, which only added to his rugged charm. His comments drew a smile and even a small chuckle from Teyla's lips. Her eyes slid away from his and a slight blush danced over her cheeks.

"Who the Hell is that?" John demanded as he watched the display from across the room.

"Who? What?" Rodney muttered as he tore his attention away from the buffet table and the massive pile of chicken. Looking over in the direction of John's straight pointed finger he shrugged dismissively. "That's Doctor Mark Martin. He was one of the new personnel from the Daedalus' last run from Earth. Do you think there is lemon on this chicken?"

"You think every thing has lemon on it, Rodney." John muttered, still not taking his eyes off the pair across the room. Why was he still holding Teyla's hand?

"Well, I have to be careful, anaphylaxis is a serious medical condition." Rodney poked at the chicken mountain with a fork.

"What is he doing here?" John demanded, indicating the offensive Doctor again.

Rodney turned and regarded the pair himself, whilst sniffing cautiously at a piece of chicken speared on his fork. "I think he's an anthropologist or something. He asked to work with Teyla as he's researching the Athosian culture."

"How long has he been here exactly?" John asked, not really sure the relevance of the question himself, but Rodney didn't seem to notice.

"I met him last week, when you were on that planet with all the pretty ladies. You were off being looked after by beautiful women and I was busy reprogramming the water recycling plant."

John sighed; he'd heard enough of Rodney's complaints about missing out on visiting that planet. "Will you stop going on about it. You should have given that job to Zalenka."

"It was an important job that needed doing properly." Rodney muttered as he nibbled the edge of the chicken. "Anyway, he seems a nice guy." He frowned down at the meat. "Tastes like honey."

"A nice guy? I thought you didn't get along with anthropologists?" John baited him, feeling unnerved that Rodney liked this man.

"Let's just say I prefer to work in real areas of science, not living with some peasants for a few months and then gaining world recognition for it. I could do that."

John finally looked away from the new Doctor and regarded Rodney, "No you couldn't. How long is he going to be here for?"

"What? Doctor Martin? I don't know. I don't care." Rodney answered as he returned his attention to the buffet.

John looked back towards the pair and was pleased to see the new Doctor had finally let go of Teyla's hand, but he was still smiling and standing within her personal space. John felt like going up and shoving him away from her. The image brought a sense of satisfaction but also of concern. He shouldn't be thinking in such a way. He hadn't even met the man face to face.

"Why do you want to know?" Rodney's voice cut through his thoughts.

Realising he needed to appear casual; John shrugged and turned back the buffet. "No reason, just like to know everyone. Hadn't seen him before is all." He made a show of piling up some chicken on his plate and headed off to find a seat.

He chose a seat in the far corner with his back to the wall, ostensibly telling himself it was a good military position in which to sit, not an easy vantage point of the new Doctor Martin.

Rodney approached with his plate, absent of chicken John noted. Across the room Teyla was smiling again. John muttered under his breath about team members being compromised as he shovelled some of the honey glazed chicken into his mouth. Rodney, obviously more observant than usual took in the frustrated body language of the Colonel. He turned and looked over his shoulder at the anthropologist Doctor.

"He seems quite popular."

John turned his attention to him with suspicion. "Why is that important?"

Rodney turned back to him, an oddly sly expression on his face. "No reason. You seemed concerned that he was up to no good."

"Up to no good? What kind of expression is that? No one talks like that, Rodney." John knew he was being defensive, but he couldn't seem to help it. He watched as Teyla smiled and laughed again. How often had he heard her laugh? Certainly not as frequently as she had in the last five minutes. More importantly, why was he so concerned about it?

"You know what I think?" Rodney stated, his focus on John's uncomfortable expression. Worry flared to life within John. He wasn't jealous. "I think you're jealous." Rodney said with great satisfaction.

John felt himself getting warm. This was ridiculous; he wasn't a teenager with a secret school yard crush. He liked to keep an eye on his team mates was all. He recognised a charmer when he saw one; he could recognise his own kind after all. Teyla wasn't from Earth and she may not understand that the Doctor's intentions were probably less than honourable.

"I am not." John blurted out, sounding just like the schoolboy he had hoped to avoid. He was a grown man, but when had that even meant anything around Rodney Mckay. They seemed to bring out the child in each other. Sometimes Rodney felt like the brother John had never had. And he had plenty of teasing to make up on.

"You are. You're used to being to one who gets all the attention." Rodney remarked with a smile on his face. He was enjoying this John realised.

"What do you mean?" He put on his best military tone, the one he used on the military personnel who didn't follow orders. Rodney seemed unfazed however.

"You've gotten all cushie with the Athosians, you go over there and play football with the kids, tell movie plots as campfire stories." John felt relief, he hadn't picked up that it was Teyla he may possibly be concerned about, not his standing with the Athosians. Rodney looked over his shoulder at Mark Martin again. John had noticed that any women who passed by the Doctor gave him a big sultry smile. "And he seems quite popular with the ladies." Rodney remarked.

"You should be the one worried, Rodney. With him about there's no chance you'll ever get a date again." The smile slipped slightly from the scientists face. Regret soothed John's annoyance, he shouldn't take it out on Rodney.

"Well, you're Mr grumpy today." Rodney snapped as he began munching on his food with a sulky expression.

"Sorry, just hungry I guess." John offered as he finished off his chicken. His eyes wandered back to the Doctor and saw that Teyla had gone. Relief broke his grumpy mood. He watched the Doctor move through his female admirers to the buffet table and began to pile his plate up with chicken. John watched how the man moved. You could tell a lot about someone by how they held themselves when they didn't think you were watching. What John saw was a confident, relaxed man who looked like he could handle himself. He would need to keep an eye on him. Make sure he didn't take advantage of Teyla, her being such a good friend of John's. Yes, he would watch out for her as he would for any female friend of his.

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TBC


	2. The Challenge

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour.

Note – I borrowed the idea for the second part of this chapter from a Cupid episode, here however Joe Flanigan would be on the other side of the argument. If you haven't seen the short lived series Cupid, take a look, especially the JF episodes.

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John struck out at Johnson's head, who managed to block the hit, but not John's second hidden strike aimed at his torso. Lt. Johnson grunted as the stick made contact and staggered away from John. John apologised half-heartedly. He was used to training with Teyla, who blocked almost all his strikes and he wasn't used to pulling his hits. Fortunately for Johnson John had not been hitting with even half his strength. John stepped back to retrieve his water and give Johnson a breather.

As he sipped from his water flask he took in the room around him. Teyla had been approached by so many of the military staff for training that she had set up a large group class. The old gym was obviously too small, so she had asked Doctor Weir if she could use one of the massive hallways as a training space. John had to admit the room made a good gym. There were about ten pairs sparring in the room and there was still plenty of space for the new weight machines and one area of the floor covered with crash mats for hand to hand training. He liked this new gym, but he preferred the smaller more intimate space of the smaller gym. Maybe it was because he first learnt there with Teyla or that in that space they were able to spar more one on one.

With so many new students she did not have as much time to individually spar and consequently they had not met up for several weeks. And in truth they had sparred less since the whole turning into a bug episode. He told himself that they sparred less because they were too busy, that they both had busy timetables. But, deep down he thought it was more likely due to either her not wanting to be in that kind of situation again with him. Or, only slightly more depressing was that she might be spending her time with someone else.

Doctor Mark Martin had arrived several weeks ago and had struck up a strong friendship with Teyla. John had seen no signs yet that they were anything more than friends, but the Doctor was often away on the main land or visiting off world and John did not enjoy watching the handsome talented doctor flirt with Teyla. So, he went along with the 'sorry I haven't had time to spar' illusion. He still spent as much of his off hours with her, and the rest of his friends here, but. Sparring together was something he had always looked forward to. Not only for the chance to hone his skills, but as something he shared with her. He missed that. So, in order to keep up his skills he went along to her large classes, even though he was the most advanced student there. He found he spent most of his time helping to instruct the newbies, and very little time sparring with her. As now she was showing the new routine once again to one pair.

He watched her as she went through the steps he had learnt over a year ago. She wore one of her more attractive outfits today, but he was glad to see one of the more covering tops. she was an attractive woman and he heard the men admiring her quite often. He wondered if she was aware of this and had chosen the outfit for this class for that reason. Or perhaps she is in a relationship and he asked her to cover up, he thought suddenly. It was a stupid thought, not only would Teyla never bow to such male orders, but that he should be thinking like this.

She turned from her sparring as if feeling his eyes upon her and she smiled across the room to him. He smiled in return, feeling his heart rate jump. God, he was just like a school kid, getting all hot and bothered by any beautiful woman who innocently smiles at him.

The door to the gym opened and Teyla's attention moved from John, to the new person entering the room. John watched the soft smile spread over her face as Mark Martin entered and at the same time a deep hollow feeling spread through him. He watched as Mark waved to Teyla and took a seat at the edge of the gym. He placed a bag down at his feet and began to unpack a towel, t-shirt and two Athosian staves. John hoped he was going to join in the class, but feared he was waiting till the class finished. Were he and Teyla sparring together? John decided he needed to find out. Perhaps it was time to start up his sparring with Teyla on a regular basis again. Johnson politely coughed, bringing his attention away from the new Doctor. Picking up his staves he returned to beating up Johnson.

Ten minutes later Teyla called an end to the class. As most of the students wearily set about packing up their gear, John headed towards Teyla. They had had barely any contact this lesson and he, as usual, had been late for the class. She wiped a towel over her face, down her neck and briefly over her exposed chest. The action almost threw him off as he approached. She noticed him and turned to him with her usual smile.

"John. I am sorry I did not have time to train with you tonight." She offered.

"That's okay. You have enough to do looking after the newbies." She smiled at his term. He felt Mark approaching behind him, and saw Teyla's attention shift to over his shoulder. "But, I was hoping we could arrange some time to spar one on one again." He asked, trying to keep her attention.

Her eyes shifted back to his and she nodded. "Yes. It has been too long. I will expect you have been practicing" She teased him.

"Of course I have," he said rather unconvincingly, "but there is only so much I can do with the newbies."

Mark stepped up beside John and the moment of connection with Teyla was lost.

"Colonel. I wasn't aware you trained with Teyla?" Mark asked.

Turning his attention to the handsome new Doctor John gave him a friendly smile. "Oh, we've been training together for the past two years."

"I guess so. You seemed top of the class tonight." The compliment annoyed John for some reason.

"Thank you, but I am far from it. Teyla kicks my butt every time." He shared a smile with Teyla.

"Nonsense. Your skills have improved considerably." She offered.

John looked down at the staves in Mark's hand. "You here to do some training of your own?"

Mark smiled, "Yes, Teyla and I are going to exchange some fighting techniques." John gave him a questioning look. "I've learnt a few martial arts over the years. When you get stuck in some of the places I have over the years, it's good to know how to defend yourself."

John had heard enough of his stories. Several times John had come across him in the rec room or the mess hall surrounding by adoring fans listening to his tales of adventure.

"Really. I would be interesting in learning some of those techniques myself." John asked his eyes locked with the Doctors. Tension crackled between them.

"I would be happy to show you. We should spar sometime." The doctor's statement held the promise of a good fight. John heard the hidden challenge.

"Sounds great." He replied with an extra large smug smile.

Teyla stepped forward into their field of view and her hand fell on Mark's bare forearm. "Mark, why don't you go and warm up and I'll be with you in a moment." Mark pulled his eyes from his starring match with John to nod to Teyla.

"Colonel." He said as he left, his tone excessively polite.

"Doctor." John responded with only a small amount of sarcasm in his tone.

John watched the doctor as he headed off to a corner of the gym and began come warm up stretches. John turned back to Teyla to find her glaring at him.

"What?" He asked, surprised to see her looking so grumpy with him. What had he done to deserve that?

She frowned at him. "I do not believe it would be a good idea for you to spar with Doctor Martin."

Somewhere deep down his male pride began to stir. "Why, think he's gonna kick my ass too?"

"Yes." She said simply. The pride and ego both took the hit and he gave her a lopsided smirk. "I will see you at tomorrows meeting. We will discuss when is the best time to train then." Her words dismissed him though she smiled politely at him. What had he done that deserved such treatment? She turned and headed over to where Mark was finishing up his warm up.

John headed over to his things and crammed them into his bag. At the door he turned back to see them talking, he watched Mark's flirty smile, the way he reached over and touched Teyla's arm. The anger rose within him. He recognised the man's look and his intention. But, Teyla wasn't just any woman. She was special. She was honourable, strong and intelligent. She wasn't a normal woman and John knew without doubt that Mark was not right for her. He wanted to win her, to own her because she was beautiful. He didn't appreciate her for anything else.

They began to spar and John turned without watching. He didn't want to see how they fought. As he strode down the hallway he told himself it wasn't his place. As he wanted Mark to respect her, so should he. She could handle herself and John had to trust in that.

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One of the worse parts of moving up the chain of command was the paperwork. It was boring and dull to write your own, and even less to read through all the other reports. Not that John didn't find it rewarding, it was just that his life was busy enough without having to go through a large stack of paperwork. Tired and still slightly grumpy from last nights sparring class, he had moved to the Mess hall. So, here he sat paperwork spread over the table and a large pot of coffee beside him. He was scribbling some notes down from one report when a shadow slid over the paper. He lifted his eyes up from his scribbles to find Doctor Martin standing by his table.

"Colonel. May I sit for a moment?" The man asked in a polite serious tone. John sensed the 'we need to talk' vibe. For a moment he considered saying no, but his natural politeness kicked in and he waved at the seat opposite him. The doctor sat and John moved a few files out of the way. John noted that despite being in the Mess hall, the doctor held no food or drink. This did not bode well.

"How may I help you, Doctor?" He asked.

The doctor settled himself on the chair and placed his interlocked hands on the table. "You don't like me very much, do you."

It was a statement rather than a question. John had to admire the guy's bluntness and he decided to be as blunt in return. "I don't know you at tall, Doctor."

"And I suspect you are not looking to get to know me either."

John wanted to sit back from the man, but that felt too much like retreating. Instead he copied the body language and interlocked his hands, though still holding his pen. The symbolism of having a pseudo weapon in his hand was not lost on him.

"Look, Doctor Martin. I don't know you and I don't need to. All I have to worry about with you is keeping you safe and every other member of this expedition. That is all I care about here."

The man studied him with his bright blue eyes and then sat back. "But that's not strictly true is it."

John frowned, "Excuse me?"

"You seem interested in with whom I spend my time."

John knew where this was going, but he wasn't going to tell the guy know that. "What do you mean?" He asked innocently.

The doctor smiled at the rouse. "Let's stop beating around the bush, huh? You don't like me spending time with Teyla."

"I'm not Teyla's keeper." John stated, though realised that perhaps he was still trying to be.

"No, you're not. You're _supposed_ to be her friend." John ignored the possible undertone to that statement.

"Why does it matter to you, Doctor, what I think of you?" John leaned further forward over the table. He wondered if he intimated the man at tall.

"It doesn't, but it does to Teyla. I don't think she wants to see us fighting."

"When were we fighting?" John asked, knowing he was baiting him.

The doctor finally leaned forward again, right into John's space. "Look, let's get it all out on the table, okay? You don't like me and to be honest, I don't much like you either. You're arrogant and come off as a jealous bastard."

Anger flared to life in John and he clenched his jaw tight to stop himself from saying what he really wanted to to the guy. So, he focused on the main word in that sentence. "Jealous?" He demanded.

The doctor smiled smugly and sat back, which only added to John's desire to hit the guy. "Let's face it; I'm taking your place."

Confusion mixed with anger. "_Excuse_ me?" He demanded.

"As I understand it, you and Teyla were sparring together for the past two years. Bet you liked being the only one she trained with. Just you and her in that little room. Her wearing her lovely outfits." John's fist clenched around the pen her held as he worked to hold his temper. The Doctor kept talking though, baiting him in turn. "You've been introducing her to Earth culture. Football and Ferris Wheels…"

John leaned forward menacingly at the guy, all thought fled his mind but hitting this guy. How dare he? "You know nothing about my relationship with Teyla, and what we've been through together." He managed to say through clenched teeth.

"I would never assume to understand all that. What I do assume to know, is that you don't like some other guy coming in and taking your place."

John slammed the pen down on the table, and at the edge of his field of view he saw several people look round. He kept his voice low, but full of menace. "What I don't like about you spending time with Teyla, is that you are only interested in _one_ thing. You parade around here, followed by adoring puppy dog eyes, and you love it. I bet you collect women, like you do journals articles." The doctor's eyes grew angry in return and John felt pleasure at hitting the right spot. "Teyla is not like other women, she is not another scratch for you to itch, or another notch on your bedpost."

"You're right, you do know nothing about me and I am insulted by what you say." His tone was that of a Victorian noble man whose honour had been questioned.

John laughed at him, "What are you going to challenge me?"

"You want to play it like this, then fine. Let's play the masculine stereotypes. Let's see how good you are with those Athosian fighting sticks."

"Sorry, I'm already sparring with Teyla at 3 o'clock." John replied.

"Fine, 2 o'clock in the old gym." The doctor spat out as he left the table.

"See you there!" John shouted at his retreating back. He became aware of several people watching him, so he set about packing up all his paperwork.

What was wrong with him? He was behaving foolishly. Teyla would have his hide if she heard about this. But, he couldn't forget the teasing words and the smug look on the guy's face. How many times had his hot blood gotten him into trouble over the years? He thought he was getting past all that, but here he was again getting into more trouble. He had a bad feeling about this.

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TBC


	3. The Confrontation

**Disclaimers**: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour.

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Oddly the old gym seemed too small to him now as he stepped forward towards Doctor Mark Martin. The man held himself well. He obviously knew how to use the two staves in his hands. Well, so did John. Though, perhaps he shouldn't have gotten himself into this. He had no idea how good this guy was. But, John had the potential to be good, wasn't that what he held onto when he remembered his skills when he nearly became a bug?

They circled one another.

There had been no pretence of conversation when they arrived. No rules were set, they just warmed up separately and then stepped to the centre facing one another.

The doctor struck out first in a simple series of attacks that John easily blocked and attacked in return. Both stepped back and circled again. The doctor moved first again and John recognised some of the most simple Athosian techniques on display. The man moved like a text book, well if there ever was to be a text book on Athosain fighting. In fact the Doctor would probably write it John realised. The thought distracted him and he narrowly missed a hit towards his face.

"Almost Colonel," he warned John. "I was wondering how you and Teyla met." John tried to ignore the obvious attempt to distract him. He struck out and they parried through some strikes. John went for his head and knees, but both were blocked and then countered.

John stepped back; the man was good. John got the worrying feeling he was being toyed with. "We met on Athos, you know the story. You've interviewed enough people about it." He struck out again.

The doctor blocked and returned. "I know those details. I mean, when you saw her. Did you think she was beautiful? Did you flirt with her? Did you use your charm to persuade her and her people to help you?"

John pushed his temper back down. Anger never helped in a fight. "You trying to get a rise out of me? Is that the only way you think you can beat me?" John baited him in return.

"No." The doctor struck out again, John swivelled to the right, blocked the second hit aimed at his shoulder, hit out and felt his stick connect with the doctor's arm. He grunted and stepped back from John. They faced off again. John saw the red welt coming up on the doctor's forearm. He remembered Teyla had touched him there the day before. Surprised by the thought, he almost missed the doctor's next comment.

"I'm trying to get you to see that you are not as innocent either."

"I never claimed to be innocent about anything." John said as he hit out. The blows were fast and furious, but John recognised he had the upper hand. He pushed the doctor back and the round ended with John smacking the doctor's left leg out from under him.

Moving back to allow the man to regain his feet, he was surprised that he didn't feel any satisfaction at the slight victory.

Mark straightened up, his breathing fast and shallow. "Look, it's not my fault if you haven't got the guts to make a move yourself."

"What?" John asked.

"Come on, don't play stupid, I know better. I've spoken to enough people in this city to recognise your type."

John rolled his eyes dramatically to cover his sudden strike at the doctor. Mark countered it, but John could feel the man was weakening. They squared off for a few minutes, until both took small hits and moved back.

John shook his stinging wrist where he had taken a brushing strike. "My type?" He asked, oddly curious.

"Yeah. Bold, active, charming. I bet you've flirted with plenty of women off world. Maybe even had a couple of short little romances as well. In fact, it seems to me-" John cut him off with an attack. They parried again, the doctor continued his irritating commentary around his fast breathing and counterattacks. "It seems to me that you and I are very much a like." John pulled back from his attack at that.

"We're nothing alike."

"Sure, we are. Look at us; we even handle this situation in the same way. Maybe I'm a more extrovert version, but deep down we're pretty similar.

I went into the army after school, played football for the local teams. Wanted to see the world, make a difference. Sound familiar?"

"If we were that similar you would have gone into the Airforce." John frowned at him.

"I applied after my time with the army. But, a member of my family got sick and I made a choice to go to college instead to stay close to home."

"What's your point, Martin?" He asked as he once again pushed the attack. Despite how good the guy was at the fighting techniques he wasn't as quick as Teyla and John was used to training at that faster speed. He pushed his advantage feeling the end in sight.

"My point is," he huffed as he tried to keep up with John's strikes. "My point is that we are similar. Maybe you don't like me, because I'm too much like you. And Teyla seems more interested in me than you." John struck out with twice the strength he had intended and the hit caught Martin on the torso. The breath was forced out of his chest and he doubled over in pain.

John stepped back, biting back an apology. He waited for him to regain his breath before he offered seriously. "Teyla is my friend."

The doctor straightened up, retrieved his fallen staves and looked John in the eye. "I believe that's true, maybe she always will be and maybe you don't like that thought. You don't want to make a move, but you don't want any other guy to either."

The strike came out of nowhere. John didn't see it coming, his head so full of Mark's words. The stave smashed him right across the face and he fell heavily to the floor. Pain flashed over his head and he gasped through the shock. He blinked rapidly and the blackness faded away, leaving the pain focused down to an area surrounding his left eye. He rolled over on the cold floor, the lights bright above him. He looked up to see Mark Martin pushing his staves and towel into his training bag.

"You've got some issues, Colonel. But then who doesn't. In the end it doesn't matter who has made the best moves through the fight, it's the one who wins that matters. Maybe it's time you should be honest with yourself and allow Teyla the freedom you enjoy with others."

With that he disappeared from John's field of view. He heard the doors slide open and then close behind the doctor. John lay on the cool floor, his left eye throbbing and considered what had just happened.

He did care for Teyla. No, in truth he admired her beyond what he should. A thousand thoughts and memories about Teyla flew through his mind. He was stupid to pretend his interest in her was anything other than friendship. He was surprised how well he had hidden the true depth of his feelings form himself. The thought of her being with Mark, or any other man, made him angry, panicked even. But, when had she shown any real interest in him. Hell, after that kiss in this very room they had never mentioned it again. She had told him to give the issue no further thought. He had been pleased at the time that their friendship had not been damaged, but he had given it further thought.

He starred up at the clean Atlantean ceiling and considered his options. He could talk to her, but what would he say? Would she laugh at him? Ask to be reassigned to another team? The idea of losing her friendship, of not having her close was frightening to him. Was she already in a relationship with Doctor Mark Martin anyway? He had no right to break that up. He had more honour than that. Hell, maybe he had been wrong about the doctor. Had he been judging the guy through is own misguided prejudices?

He sat up slowly, touching his swollen cheekbone gingerly. Served him right, he should have seen that strike coming. But, it wasn't every day that you realised that you…what? Loved her? The thought worried him more than he would ever admit to anyone. He didn't do well with loved ones, they tended to leave him or die. But, she did deserve to be loved.

He climbed to his feet groaning slightly at the sore muscles. He would not stand between her and the handsome, horribly insightful, doctor. She would make her own decision if she wanted to be with the doctor.

He picked up one stave, and heard the doors open behind him. Suddenly he remembered he was supposed to be training with her at 3 o'clock, surely it wasn't 3 already? He turned slowly to find her standing in the doorway, towel wrapped around her neck, deep plunging cropped top and a questioning look on her face.

He tried to think of an excuse, but he had had enough of hiding from this woman. He picked up the other fallen stave and walked over to the bench. She met him there. Her expression was not pleasant as he looked at her with a sheepish expression.

She surprised him by reaching out and grabbing him by the chin, pulled his face round so she could see his cheek clearly. She looked angry. "You should have blocked or ducked." She stated.

He hadn't expected that. "I know."

She let go of his chin, picked up her staves and headed out to the centre of the room. "We shall work on that."

The tiredness of his body became more apparent to him as he watched her swing the staves around. "I'm kind of tired, Teyla." He started.

"You should not have sparred with him; you could have seriously hurt each other." Her tone was angry, the angriest he had heard her except for that time she hit Bates.

"We know what we're doing." He pushed in return.

She indicated his face with one stave, "Apparently not. If you think you are good enough to challenge people, step up." She indicated the space in front of her. Oh, she was seriously going to kick his ass.

He reluctantly picked up his staves and walked towards her. This was going to hurt.

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TBC


	4. Apology

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour.

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John sat back and sighed with relief. This was the life. The ocean stretched out before him, the waves crashing below the balcony and light surf spray cooled the air around him.

It had taken him a while, but he was pretty sure this was the best spot in Atlantis. The best place to hide. He pushed that thought quickly aside, if he wanted to disappear during his off hours why shouldn't he?

He sat back into the chair and stretched his legs out, his bare feet resting on the cool metal of the balcony. Yep, this was the life, all he needed was a beer and it would be perfect. It felt good to be out of uniform and into some comfortable jeans and shirt.

It was his days off, like today, that he missed Earth the most. On Atlantis you were never really off duty. If something happened he would hear about it and he would always get involved. But, out here on the outer reaches of the pier, the furthest room and balcony from the central tower, he could sit and stare out across the ocean.

The last week had been pretty tough. Not that there had been any big crisis, or big alien attacks or even a difficult off-world mission. No this week had been difficult on a whole new level. This was the week in which he realised he…had deep feelings for Teyla. God, he couldn't even say the word in his head! He'd been in love before, but only once or twice. But this was different, this scared him more. Not, that he would EVER admit that to anyone. No, this time, she was more important. The situation was more difficult.

He reached up and touched his still tender left eye. The black eye was still slightly dark and his body was still sore in parts from Teyla's 'training sessions'. She had been pretty mad with his sparring with Mark Martin and had insisted on increasing their training drills. After two days of extra training he got the message – his skills were still basic at best. She had seemed to sense his acquiesce and the extra training stopped. In fact he had barely seen her in days. Not that he was avoiding her, he was as polite as possible around her, but she had to sense the awkwardness.

But, today was his day off, a day to pretend none of those stresses existed, to just relax and contemplate the massive stretch of ocean before him.

Through the constant crash of the sea under the balcony he heard footsteps approaching along the corridor behind him. He sighed; he couldn't even get an hour to himself. What had gone wrong now? He waited until the footsteps reached the balcony and only then did he turn his head to find…Teyla. Surprise and a mild panic spread through him.

"Teyla!" He practically yelped. "Is something wrong?"

She paused at the entrance to the balcony and smiled at him. "No, nothing is wrong, John. Well…" She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. "There is nothing wrong with Atlantis or myself, however, I feel that there is something amiss with you."

He swallowed round the panic and tried to think of something to say. She smiled once more and indicated the spare seat beside him. "May I join you?"

"Of course." He offered. She stepped up beside him and slid into the seat. She was wearing a long sleeved colourful top that indicated that she was off duty for the day as well. She slid her feet from her sandals and rested her bare feet up on the balcony rail alongside his. She had pretty feet he decided. He heard her take a deep breath.

"This is a lovely spot."

"Yeah, took me a while to find the right place."

"The right place for what?" She asked with curiosity.

_To be by myself_, was what he wanted to say. "To pretend I am not in Atlantis. To just stare off over the ocean, put all my worries aside for a while." Was what he did say.

"I will not disturb you for long, John. I needed to speak with you." Her tone was steady and serious. Panic, which seemed his constant companion at present, kicked up a gear. His mind ran quickly through what she might know. Had Dr Martin told her about their 'discussion'? Or was she here to tell him she was dating said smug Doctor? Was she going to call him on the awkwardness?

Pulling himself together, he reminded himself he was a Lt Colonel, who had faced who knows how many Wraiths – he could handle this as well.

"O-kay." He offered as he turned to look at her.

Her gaze was directed out across the ocean. "I wanted to apologise to you." She said.

"What? What for?"

She turned to look at him finally, her expression difficult to read. "I was angry that you and Mark sparred. I took that anger out on you in our training sessions and I apologise for that."

Relief and strangely disappointment hustled out panic finally. "That's okay, Teyla. I deserved it. I'm sorry for behaving like a jackass to Dr Martin."

"Why you and Mark sparred is between you, I am just glad that you did not injure each other further. You could have seriously have harmed him."

He tried to read her expression at that comment, but she turned away looking once more out across the water. "You think I would have beaten him?" He knew it was childish, but he couldn't help himself from asking.

She looked back at him with a smile on her lips. "I was surprised that you did not." Her graze moved to his left eye, studied the fading bruise with a knowing eye. "That must have been a strong blow you took."

He winced at the memory. "Just a bit, yes."

"You were distracted by something else." She said with a look.

Panic ran back into play. "What did Martin tell you?"

She frowned slightly, "Nothing. You are always distracted."

He opened his mouth to protest, but the sparkle in her eyes silenced him. "Are you teasing me, Teyla?"

She smiled and looked back out over the water. "That is your weakness, John and you know that. You can be distracted too easily."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You didn't tell, Martin that did you?"

"I would never do that, John." He believed her answer, but he still frowned at her for a while.

Silence descended over them as they sat and watched the massive body of water before them. He breathed in the air, now tinted slightly with Teyla's scent. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, to find her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. He watched her as she enjoyed the sun on her face and the breeze in her hair. His eyes traced the line of her profile and the long line of her neck. He rarely had the opportunity to study her so closely and unobserved. She was truly a beautiful woman both physically and in spirit.

Happy that she was going to sit here with him for a while, he in turn settled back in his chair and closed his eyes. He had been wrong before; there had been something missing besides the beer for this perfect day off. And all things considered, she was a good friend and he was happy to sit and enjoy her company.

-----------

She had never lived near an ocean before. She had grown up playing along river banks across the Athosian hunting grounds, but never had they travelled as far as the ocean. When she had first moved to Atlantis the salty taste to the air had been strange to her, and the near constant breeze that drifted across the city carried the salty smell into every window and balcony.

At first she had missed the plains and trees of her home-world. But, over time she had begun to love the salt tainted air and the cooling sea breeze. In fact when she visited her people on the mainland she missed the sound of the ocean.

She spent evenings sitting out on the balcony nearest her quarters listening quietly to the sound of the ocean. It soothed her, helped her to forget the loss of Athos, the ever present threat of the Wraith and her separation from her people.

Now, she turned her face up towards the sun's warmth and listened to the air. She allowed her mind to wander free from this place, across the waters to her people. Dr Martin was there now, spending more time with the Athosians than she had done in the last year. She found that she envied him that.

Beside her John stirred, settling his body more comfortably in his chair. She opened her eyes and looked over at John Sheppard. She was glad that they had spoken. Things had been awkward between them this past week, but it had been her own doing. She had been angry, though she wasn't sure who she was angrier at; Dr Martin for having hit him, John for not having blocked the hit or at herself for not having taught them both properly.

It did not matter now though, she had apologised. She and John could go back to their former friendship, without the awkwardness. His reaction to this past situation had surprised her more than she had expected. He had become almost nervous around her, distancing himself. Not that he was anything other than polite, but she had felt their friendship breaking. He was too important to her to lose that, so she had sought him out to apologise. Now, things could get back to normal. Well…

"You are not going to spar with Dr Martin again are you?" She asked.

Surprised out of his relaxation he opened his eyes and turned to her. There was a pause in which he studied her and she began to worry that he perhaps did plan to spar again.

"No, Teyla. I won't be competing with Dr Martin anymore."

His tone was honest, yet strangely sad she thought, but happy with his answer she turned back to the beautiful view before them. Things could return to normal now…

----------------

TBC


	5. False Hopes?

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour.

------------------------

The puddle jumper began its descent from the clear sky down into the Jumper bay. Dr Mark Martin sat behind the pilot and watched through the front window as their jumper settled to a rest. His eyes flew to the doorway of the bay; some part of him always hoped she might be there, waiting for him. Yet, as every time before, she was not there.

As the back door of the jumper began to descend, he thanked the pilot for the lift once again, picked up his belongings and headed out into the bay. He wanted to go to her now, talk to her now, but he needed to freshen up and it was late by Atlantis clock. He should wait till the morning. Yes, then he would talk to her. He needed to resolve this.

Slipping his backpack straps over his shoulders he headed out of the bay and into the dimly lit corridors of the Ancient city.

---------

Teyla studied her opponent. She watched the eyes primarily, taking in all the details of blink rate, eye contact and the subtle lines around the eyes. She focused on any small clues that would give away any of their owner's intent. Waiting for any hint to what they were thinking.

Her name was Sophie and she was a marine stationed as part of the military contingent of Atlantis. She was a bold, strong woman, but she would play on that image of herself. This woman knew how to fight any battle and so she remained laid back, seemingly relaxed. Teyla knew better.

Teyla shifted her focus now away from Sophie and down to the green before her. She had a decision to make. There was much at stake now. Looking back up at Sophie, she made her decision. Reaching forward she made her selection and threw out the coloured disks.

"I see your bet and raise you twenty."

There came a chorus to amused sounds from around the table. All eyes turned to Sophie, who was smiling slightly now. Teyla felt the woman's focus settle on her, knew she was being assessed in return now.

"You sure you want to do that, Teyla?" came Sophie's answer.

Teyla smiled, "Yes, Sophie I am sure."

Sophie began shuffling her cards around in her hands, which was an obvious stalling technique. "I heard that the handsome Dr Martin is returning tonight." She uttered over her reformed cards, her expression mischievous.

"I had not heard that." Teyla answered honestly.

"I am surprised. Rumour has it that you would be _very_ interested in that fact." The glint in the woman's eye made Teyla want to smile, but she kept her face neutral.

"Your attempts to distract me will not work, Sophie."

Several people around the table laughed quietly.

"I am only taking a healthy interest in my new friend's social well being." There came more laughter again from the women who had indeed become her new friends. Teyla sent an exasperated look towards Laura Cadman, who had been the one to introduce her to the game of poker. Laura smiled back, obviously enjoying watching the resolution of the game.

"I thank you for the friendly interest." Teyla replied to Sophie. "Are you going to bet, or should I take all the winnings now?" She waved at the large pile of coloured disks at the centre of the table. They didn't use money for winnings; instead they traded various small items and favours. Teyla looked down at the pile of disks in the centre of the table. All this would earn her several extra slots in the gym, extra time in the rec room, less paperwork, some chocolate and other sweet goods and many movies to borrow.

"I'm gonna bet, don't you worry." Sophie shuffled her cards once again, the glint still in her eyes. "Like I've been betting on you and Dr Martin."

This did break Teyla's concentration. "What?"

"Sophie!" Laura warned. "You promised you wouldn't say anything."

Teyla lowered her cards to the table. "You have been betting on me? Why?"

There were various embarrassed noises form the women around the table. Laura shrugged and gave her an apologetic expression.

"Come on, Teyla, the man's been practically dribbling over you for the past few weeks." Sophie exclaimed with a big smile.

Teyla felt her cheeks flush slightly. "I am aware that he perhaps has some interest, however I assure you that there has been nothing more."

"Of course we believe you." Sophie added, though her tone implied she did not believe Teyla. She threw out two disks. "I meet your twenty and raise you a further twenty."

Teyla tore her attention away from her embarrassment and picked her cards back up.

"You know, the Doctor is not a bad catch. I mean he's handsome, knowledgeable, his spent all that time with your people and he can obviously stick fight judging by the shiner he gave the Colonel!"

Embarrassment flushed her and she could feel the heat in her cheeks. "People are truly betting on whether I start a relationship with Dr Martin?"

Donna, a nurse on Dr Beckett's staff sat forward eagerly, "Start a relationship? So you aren't going out with him already?"

"Donna! No cheating!" Exclaimed Laura as she threw a piece of popcorn at the nurse.

Teyla turned to the red haired nurse. "People are saying I am already seeing him?"

"I'm afraid so, Teyla. It's all around the city. Let's face it he didn't try to hide his interest very well." The women laughed.

"But, he acts that way with all the women." Teyla insisted.

"True enough he flirts with us all, but he seems to have a particular attraction to you." Laura offered in a sexy tone.

"Are you going to bet, Teyla?" Sophie asked impatiently.

Her attention drawn back to the game, she studied her cards and tried to regain her centre.

Yet, her mind couldn't let go of what she had just learnt. Surely Mark wasn't interested in her any differently than he was the other women in the city? Moments of their conversations entered her mind. He did seem to spend a lot of time with her when he was in the city, and in truth she enjoyed his company. He often touched her arm, or leant into her personal space, but she had put that down to his general flirty nature. She had not thought of him as a potential partner. Was it that obvious to everyone else that he had certain intentions towards her?

"Teyla?" Sophie asked again.

She attempted to focus on her cards again, but she couldn't let the comments pass.

"Does everyone truly think we are going out together?" She implored the table of friends.

Sophie groaned and dumped her cards on the table. The others all smiled and some laughed, indicating how obvious it was to them all.

"Yes, Teyla." Laura replied with a smile touched with a small amount of concern.

Renewed embarrassment filled her mind. Everyone? Dr Weir, Ronon, Dr McKay, John…

"_I won't be competing with Dr Martin anymore"_

Those had been his words. At the time she had thought the phrase slightly odd. Now, new light was cast on his words. What exactly had he meant by that? Had he and Dr Martin sparred together over her? The thought was almost ridiculous. Why would they?

A fleeting moment of hope flickered to light in her heart, in that place in her heart where she hid her most secret desires. The place where she kept hidden her deep affection for John Sheppard. A place she would hardly admit existed to herself and the possibility that he may in some way think of her other than friend, than family… No, he would want someone from his own world. She had seen him flirt with so many women, with Dr Weir. He would never feel for her that which she felt for him.

Yet now those deeply hidden emotions forced their way to the surface and demanded to be heard. She pushed down the torrent of emotion and tried to focus on the cards before her.

"_I won't be competing with Dr Martin anymore"_

What had he meant by 'competing'? She had to know. Now. She placed her cards down on the table and stood.

"Teyla? Are you alright?" Laura asked. The others all looked equally surprised and concerned by her actions as she moved towards the door.

"I am fine. I need to go. I am sorry." She turned and headed out of the door to a chorus of protests, over which she could hear Sophie. "Damn it, she had a full house!"

-----------------

She could not find him. She had looked in all the places in which he normally worked, or relaxed. She looked out of the nearest window and looked towards the end of the pier in which she had found him only a couple of days ago. She saw no light, no hint of anyone in that part of the city. She could go out there, but the rain was sheeting down and she had to cross several open areas to reach his building. It was doubtful he was there anyway.

She turned back to the empty mess hall. She had tried calling him over the radio, but he had not replied. Major Lorne said he was definitely in the city, but was off duty. He was probably asleep or somewhere by himself with his radio turned off. She would have to wait until tomorrow. But, sleep was far from her mind.

She poured herself some tea from the heated pot and helped herself to some fruit. At least she could enjoy the silence in the empty mess hall for a while. Sitting down by the window she watched the patterns of rain as it hit the glass. She tried to centre herself again. She did not like feeling so out of control. Emotions were of great value, but they could cloud judgment and give false hopes. False hope, was that what she felt now?

"Teyla?" Said a familiar voice and she looked up to see Mark Martin standing in the doorway. She smiled as best she could as he approached.

"Dr Martin, I did not hear you had returned to the city."

He frowned as he neared her. "Teyla, please call me Mark, as you have always done."

"I am sorry. I am tired." She offered as an excuse. She did not want to insult the man, but she could not help thinking of Sophie and Donna's words now. She noted the smile on his face and the kind look in his eyes. He was a very handsome man.

He sat opposite her and smiled once again. His smile was comforting in a strange way. "I was hoping to talk to you about something. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but since you are here…" His expression turned slightly nervous and Teyla had a sudden realisation as to where the conversation was headed.

"I've been meaning to ask you something for a while actually. You see I…really enjoy your company. I feel we have a lot in common and I would love to spend more time with you. So, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me sometime?"

Teyla felt her cheeks warming again and pressed her cool fingers against her cheek to cool it as she considered his words. His eyes never left her face, his expression open and appealing. His words were so honestly spoken, his affection clear in his eyes that she could not help feeling moved. For a moment she considered accepting his offer. He would surely be a kind and generous lover, a man with good humour and a kind heart.

Yet, her thoughts returned to John. He had said nothing to her even close to what Mark had just said. Had she imagined those small moments of connection between her and John? Was she pinning false hopes on a man who felt nothing for her? She had to find out.

She reached forward, placed her hand on top of Marks, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Mark. Thank you for your kind words. I do enjoy your company as well and I value our friendship.."

He looked down at that word. "Friendship. Is that all you feel for me?" He asked.

The doors to the mess hall slid open and they turned to see John Sheppard standing in the entrance. Teyla saw his expression of surprise and then watched his eyes drop to where her hand lay on top of Marks. For a moment something crossed his face, but the expression was gone before Teyla could read it.

"Sorry." He offered quickly as he turned and left quickly.

Teyla watched the doors slide shut, but that small flicker of hope now flared up into a burning flame. It was possible.

Mark pulled his hand out from under Teyla's drawing her attention back to him. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands through his hair. "Sheppard."

He dropped his hands to his lap and regarded her. "I thought it was just on his side."

Hope grew slightly stronger. "Was that why you two sparred?" She asked.

Mark leant forward, "Yes, but I don't think he realised that until we…talked." She looked at him questioningly. "The guy doesn't deserve you, Teyla. Are you sure you want to be with a man who didn't even realise he liked you until some other guy hit him round the head?"

Teyla couldn't help but smile at the image. Mark smiled along with her for a moment. "Look, if you want to out go out with Sheppard you go ahead. But, the guy has problems with emotions."

Teyla smiled again. "As do I." She reached out and placed her hand once more over his. "Thank you for your interest, Mark. If he were not so important to me, I would have gladly accepted your offer."

Mark turned his hand over under hers and squeezed her fingers gently. "If he's too stupid to realise what he's got, then you come and find me."

Teyla smiled at the sentiment as he released her hand.

"So, you gonna go talk to the thick headed Colonel?" He asked as he stood up.

Realisation hit her now that she had to speak with John. Now was the time to bring what had been unsaid into the open. She could only hope that by being honest with him, that he would be honest in return. And she could only hope that what he honestly felt wouldn't hurt her.

--------------

TBC


	6. Revelation

Title: Honesty, Part 6 – Revelation.

Disclaimers: I own no part of the Stargate world, I make no money from this endeavour.

-------------------

It had taken ten minutes for her to turn up. After apparently interrupting an intimate moment between her and Dr Martin, John had headed straight to the gate room, where he had encountered major Lorne. He had then proceeded to turn what had been a minor problem, which Lorne had been handling, into a major crisis that only he could deal with.

As he had darted about the control room barking orders in what must have obviously been in an out of character manor, he had refused to look at the entrance. There was little or no reason why she would come looking for him, was there? Regret and hurt swelled within him once more. Pushing it all down he had continued making the night shift's work a nightmare.

But, ten minutes into his impromptu crisis, she had appeared. He had been hyper aware of any one who had entered the area anyway. And then there she was weaving her way through the technicians. He barely acknowledged her, afraid to look up clearly into her eyes.

"John, may I speak with you a moment?" She asked politely.

"Sorry, now's not a good time, several systems have crashed." He headed over to a different console, but she followed him.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

He looked up at her concerned face and regretted his expansion of the truth to her.

"No, no. It will be fine. I just want it all up and running properly as soon as possible. Don't want the Wraith sneaking up on us with our pants down." He regretted the comment immediately and felt a slight flush to his cheeks. He turned quickly and grabbed a report out of a surprised technician's hand.

"This looks alright." He said as he nodded sagely down at the gobbledegook, handed the report back and headed off towards another console.

"Would we not have detected any Wraith approaching long in advance?" She asked from behind him.

"Yes. But, I just don't like leaving us blind." It was partly true, which made him feel slightly better about lying to her.

"I just…needed to speak to you about something." Her words brought out a slight sweat on his skin. She had sounded almost nervous. "Could we speak privately for a moment?" It was her hesitant tone, so unusual for Teyla that stopped him. He turned to face her, ready to give in and go with her. But, he couldn't hear it now. His emotions were up and unguarded.

"Look I'm a little busy now, how about tomorrow?"

What looked like disappointment moved over her features before disappearing behind her usual polite mask. Deep inside he hated that he had made her feel like that for even a moment. Yet, he had to protect himself, protect his emotions, and protect his heart.

"Of course. I am sorry that I disturbed you." She stepped backwards away from him and he had to suppress the impulse to stop her. She turned to leave, but turned back towards him. "Only, I just needed to tell you something."

God, he was not going to get out of this. He moved towards the next console. If he kept busy with work, maybe she wouldn't see the disappointment of his own.

"Sure. What is it?"

She followed at his shoulder. "I have become aware that there have been some bets made concerning myself."

"Oh, don't worry about those. It's only harmless fun. But, if you want me to have a word with-"

"No." She cut him off. "It's not that. It's just that people seem to have the idea that I am seeing Dr Martin."

The slight sweat broke out on his skin again. Here we go.

"Oh, really?" He tried.

"Yes." He moved away again to stand at the dialling console. She moved to the other side opposite him, making it harder for him to not look at her. The technician seated there sat straighter as John stood beside him. Good, he felt stronger with people around him. Less of a scene could be made.

"Only, it is not true." She stated.

He had been studying the laptop in front of the technician. His brain registered what she had said finally and he looked up at her in surprise. Brain cells kicked into gear.

"But, I thought I saw you two..." The thought came out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"He is a friend nothing more." She stated emphatically.

"Damn it." Came the half whispered breath of the technician. John looked down at the man with a frown. "Sorry, Sir." He muttered and set back to work with obvious over-intent at the laptop.

"Seems there will be a lot of very unhappy gamblers in the city." John muttered as he watched the technician work.

"I just wanted you to know that." She said.

He returned his attention to Teyla, brain cells working overtime. The question almost formed on his lips, but this time he was able to stop the impulse to speak from his heart. Why did she want him to know? She had followed him here to make sure he understood that she was not seeing the Doctor. Why? Unless she…

Suddenly he regretted being surrounded by so many others. He was heavily aware of the technician sitting right beside him and the others set throughout the small control room.

On sudden impulse reached over the console and nudged her by the arm towards Weir's empty office. She came willingly so he let go of her arm.

Once inside the semi lit office John turned to her. He realised he had no idea what to say to her. Usually he was good talking to women, but lately his charm and wit had abandoned him around Teyla. It both terrified and slightly fascinated him. He looked down into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Why?" The question slipped from his lips.

She frowned, a question forming on her lips.

"I mean, why are you not seeing Dr Martin?" He knew the question was stupid, but in all truth he had to admit the guy had the goods. He had every woman in the city liking or loving him. And Martin had been right about one thing, they were quite similar, though the Dr was way more open than John. If Teyla wasn't interested in the Dr, what chance did he have?

Teyla looked out of the glass windows of the office as she considered her reply. John watched her with eagle eyes, looking for any clue to what she was thinking and feeling. He had always thought they were close friends, but in truth he had realised what did he really know about this woman? He had no idea what she dreamed of, what she wanted from life, what her childhood was really like. And he found he truly wanted to discover the answers to all those questions and more. If he got the chance. He waited as she turned back to him, looked up at him with a determined expression and answered him.

"My interest lies in another."

It took a moment to process her meaning around the formal words. Hope seemed to die as he realised she had turned down Dr Martin, because she wanted someone else. His mind moved with amazing speed through all the men in the city he could think of. Carson? Ronon? McKay – No.

"Someone else?" He pushed.

"Yes." She stated her eyes fixed on his.

Her eyes held his and he found he couldn't look away. Finally he realised what she meant. Hope flared suddenly to life and sparkled with joy inside him.

"Someone else." He echoed, but this time he laced his tone with meaning.

To his absolute joy she looked away suddenly a blush creeping over her cheekbones. Confidence suddenly reasserted itself, probably due to the overwhelming pride that was blossoming in his chest. Though, he still couldn't think of what to say to her. She liked him! He felt the desire to punch the air, tell someone. Something. Instead he looked down at her reddened cheeks as she turned back to look up at him. He couldn't help the smug smile that began to spread over his lips. She frowned at him, and he tried to reduce the smile, but it wasn't having any of it.

"I should let you get back to your work. It all looks very important." He thought he detected a slight hint of sarcasm in her tone. She was moving away from him, backwards towards the doorway.

"I just wanted to make sure you were aware of…the situation." She frowned. He hadn't seen her so ineloquent before and it only added to the smug happy feeling in his heart.

"Okay. Thank you for that." He replied trying to sound serious around the overwhelming smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the briefing." She offered before she turned and headed out of the door.

"Teyla?" He called. Nerves pushed his heart rate suddenly up. Come on, he had done this hundreds, well many, times before.

She stopped just outside the doorway and looked back at him.

"If you're not too busy, would you want to have dinner with me sometime?" He asked trying to keep his tone as light as possible, yet in truth he knew he couldn't hide the weight of the moment.

He saw what looked like relief cross over her face before she smiled broadly at him. "I would like that."

He nodded and openly smiled again at her. Electricity sparkled between them for a moment before she turned from him and headed away. He watched her through the glass as she moved through the control area. Would she look back? As she reached the stairs that would take her out of his view he saw her look back over her shoulder at him before she disappeared.

He resisted the urge to punch the air, remembering the glass walls. He would save it for later, when he was in the privacy of his own quarters. As he headed out of the office back towards the tense technicians, he thought it maybe a good idea to go buy Dr Martin a drink.

----------------------

THE END – Might start writing the dating part, maybe…


End file.
